Mad Machine
by Aroihkin
Summary: [DARKFIC.AU.WIP] The rebuilt Delta Megazord lands in the desert outside of Angel Grove with no apparent pilot and no apparent purpose. With the threat of a potential trap, and civilian reporters closing in, the five primary Astro Rangers must investigate.
1. episode one, the fragile

A/N (Aroihkin's Notes) 07.17.05:

Well, this is it. The very first chapter of my very first PR fanfiction.

Updates will be sporadic. Requiem for the Dream and Reflections in the Skies of Arcadia fandom are still ongoing, so, between the three I will never know how often anything will be updated. Of course, this could flunk through and bomb out, saving me the trouble, but we'll see. Maybe I'll have a knack for PR fic, maybe I won't... but there's no telling until I try.

On a more solid note, the only season I have seen in it's entirety is PRiS, and I haven't seen a single episode of anything that came after that. I've seen most of Turbo, and I only vaguely recall any of the stuff from before then... but... nothing to go off of by a long shot.

That said, consider this an AU. The Astro Rangers don't hang out with past Rangers, or at least not on camera, and whatever happened in Lost Galaxy is moot.

("...") denotes speech broadcasted through the comm system rather than in person.

**05.02.2010: All scene-dividers have been eaten, again, on all of my stories. I give up. _Please_ just go read this story on arowrites dot net where it hasn't been made incoherent; I am unable to keep up with this site's stupidity.**

---- ----: -x- :---- ----  
**Mad Machine**  
episode one, the fragile

The Delta Megazord.

Sand slowly settled over the desert scene, swirling in puffs of gritty cloud as the granules fell again. The long-lost machine was slumped against the Astro Megazord's legs like an unconscious warrior, a broken toy. Gatling gun fingers lay splayed against the dry ground, and the shrieking of metal on metal echoed through the desert valley as the transformed craft slowly, but steadily, slid off to the side.

It came to a rest on one elbow, still supported for the most part by the other transformed craft standing stolidly in the reddish dirt. More sand was kicked up and then allowed to settle, and the craft showed no sign of being about to fall further. Over the open comm frequency, a small robot sighed loudly in relief.

The five primary Rangers made their way out of their Astro Megazord, circling around the legs to the slumped form before it. It didn't move, and a gust of wind picked up more sand and flung it against the triangular head of the lifeless craft.

("Primary scan of the Delta Megazord shows no evidence of biological life.") DECA's voice stated calmly through the open comm channel inside their helmets, ("Short-range scanners detect approaching vehicles and biological life from Angel Grove. Expected arrival in T minus twenty minutes.")

("Oh, no, the press...!") Alpha added unhelpfully, sounding distressed.

The Rangers, identities exposed as they were, had continued to live on the Astro Megaship orbiting Earth. Whenever and wherever they were spotted, morphed or not, it always drew the media's attention. The sight of two different transformed Megazords coming down to Earth, especially since one was known to have been destroyed years ago, would attract them like bees to honey.

"We should check it out before they get here." TJ stated what they were all thinking, eyeing their former weapon. "We don't know who rebuilt it or how it got here, and it could be dangerous."

"Yeah..." Cassie's frown was audible as she approached the lowered arm, the others following cautiously. She reached out and laid a hand on the warm metal, and the Rangers jumped collectively when one of the Delta's gatling gun fingers twitched in the sand.

A tense moment, nothing else happened, and they all released breaths they hadn't known they'd been holding.

"How are we going to get in?" Carlos eyed the partially-upright machine through his helmet, "I don't think any of us want to climb up with it still moving like that."

"Even if there's nothing in there," Andros reasoned out loud, "We need to shut down the systems before the press gets here. It obviously can and will still react."

"There's the hangar." Ashley suddenly pointed at the transformed craft's hip, "See it? If we can get that to open..."

"...then we're in." Andros finished, nodding, "Good plan -- let's try it."

The Rangers pulled, pushed, pried, and blasted at the doors. Nothing would open the hangar more than a few inches, and something large and angular was jammed up against the opening.

"Probably from the rough landing." Ashley reasoned out loud, peering at what little they could see of it. "Do you think it could be a... ship?" Regardless of what it was... they couldn't get around it, and the doors wouldn't open with it in the way.

("T minus fifteen minutes.") DECA warned.

"Alpha," Andros said, "can you get the Astro Megazord to lift us up to the main service hatch on the Delta?"

("The Delta Megazord will fall from its current position if the Astro Megazord moves.") DECA interjected smoothly, cutting off that particular idea.

"Hey, guys, look. There's a small hatch over here." Carlos' accented voice broadcasted in the other four's helmets as the Black Ranger himself approached said hatch and tried to pry it open. It was only ten feet to the left of the hangar doors, but, apparently it was left unblocked.

After a few frustrating moments in which the Black Ranger pried and pulled with gloved fingers and tried not to get frustrated, the small hatch opened. Carlos stared at the opening, doing some mental measurements.

"It looks like one of you girls can probably get in through this." Carlos remarked, "Who wants to go?"

"I'll go. Maybe I can get the hangar to open from the inside." Ashley volunteered, "Give me a leg-up?"

("T minus ten minutes.")

Much clanking and crashing and shouted "I'm alright!"'s later, and the hangar doors were cracked open just enough for the other Rangers to be able to push against the object in the way. Concentrated heaving and shoving, with Ashley prying at it from inside the doors, and it finally gave way with an ear-piercing wail of metal on metal.

Everyone winced, and the doors finally opened enough to admit them.

("T minus five minutes.")

Andros frowned inside his helmet, tearing his eyes off the familiar craft inside the Megazord. In the far distance toward Angel Grove he could see clouds of dusty sand being churned up by approaching vehicles.

"TJ, Carlos, do you two mind waiting out here and playing interference with the press? We don't want them snooping around inside, and the Delta could still hurt them if they get too close."

"Good idea."

"The rest of us should split up and look for the control room inside. Radio if there's any problems or if you find something."

"Right." they all agreed, and the three made their way inside as TJ and Carlos moved away from the Megazords, ready to hold off the nosy civilians as well as they could.

* * *

Cassie pulled herself up and over the mass of broken, bent, warped pipes blocking her chosen narrow corridor. The ship was, as the others had already put it, a complete mess internally. At first they had been shocked that the small... naggingly familiar ship inside the hangar had managed to bash through the inner hull of the doors. But that had been nothing compared to the rest of the visible damage, evidence of a very hasty and careless patch-up job everywhere they looked.

Yes, someone had rebuilt the Delta Megaship, and had even done it well enough for the craft to transform into the Delta Megazord and re-enter Earth's atmosphere. But beyond that?

("This thing's a wreck.") Ashley reiterated over the comm, the background noise of her transmission broadcasting as the hissing of a broken air pipe.

"I wonder who did this?" Cassie replied, picking her way past a part of the corridor that was missing most of its floor. The drop below that didn't look too inviting.

("No idea, but this could still be a trap. Be careful, everyone.") Andros' voice, this time. ("Hey TJ... press there yet?")

("T minus one minute.") DECA cut in.

("Almost, yeah.") TJ added.

("Remember, keep them clear of the Delta. If it moves or falls over the rest of the way...") left unsaid was the possibility of it exploding, or attacking, or any other number of things it could do if it was indeed a trap.

("Right, right, we know.")

It was a while after DECA announced the arrival of the reporters that Cassie suddenly came to a door at the end of a small side-corridor.

"Secomi." she read the word aloud, next to the door's controls, before looking at the door itself. There a plaque clearly stated CONTROL ROOM.

"I think I've found it..." the Pink Ranger said, backing away a hasty step and reaching for her blaster as the door suddenly slid open of its own accord. "Oh... my god."

* * *

"So what should we tell them, anyway?" Carlos had folded his arms, watching the approaching trucks and vans next to TJ.

"That's a good question. I guess we have to tell them -_something_-..."

"They'll only get more suspicious if we don't."

They weren't broadcasting on the open comm by default now, not wanting to distract everyone else from their searches by putting their conversations with the reporters and each other into everyone's ears.

("Wow, it's really... busted up in here.") Ashley's voice came over the open comm. ("This thing's a wreck.")

"Well, we're out in the middle of the desert, and there's no monsters--"

"That we know of." TJ interrupted, craning his neck upwards to watch a lone hawk glide overhead. The bird perched on the Delta Megazord, completely oblivious to the potential danger.

"--That we know of, right. Because this still could be a trap. But we don't want to send them into a panic like that."

"Too bad they wouldn't listen if we just asked them to leave."

("I wonder who did this?") Cassie's voice, followed by Andros', ("No idea, but this could still be a trap. Be careful, everyone. Hey TJ... press there yet?")

TJ lifted his hand to helmet, pressing in one of the broadcast tabs near the ear.

("T minus one minute.") DECA answered for him even as he opened his mouth. His jaw snapped shut for a brief moment.

"Almost, yeah." TJ went ahead and replied anyway, turning away a bit from the approaching vehicles.

("Remember, keep them clear of the Delta. If it moves or falls over the rest of the way...")

"Right, right, we know." he heard Carlos sigh before the two stopped broadcast and looked helplessly at each other. "And we still don't know what we'll tell them."

"Well, we better think fast, because they're here."

Engines roaring, dying, and doors slamming preceded the flock of reporters, cameras flashing and tapes recording as they rushed toward the two Rangers. It was obvious that they were more interested in the two Megazords, but TJ was quick to gather their attention by removing his helmet.

Everyone knew what the Blue Ranger looked like, of course, especially this group. But it was still rare to have a Ranger pull off his or her helmet around anyone. Frankly, having so many people trying to read their expressions 'as Rangers' instead of staring at a blank visor made them all nervous.

TJ wasn't an exception, but, it did get their notice. The sun immediately began to heat the top of his clean-shaven head, as if to purposefully add to his discomfort.

"Blue Ranger... would you care to tell us what's going on here?" "TJ, is it true that the Delta Megazord was destroyed years ago?" "Black Ranger, do -_you_- know what's going on?" "Where are the other Rangers?" "Are the Megazords damaged?" "Do you plan on leaving the Delta parked in the desert?"

Carlos grimaced inwardly at TJ's plight before he smoothed his expression and followed suit. It didn't seem fair to let his best friend get blinded by all the camera flashes and stand there with his own helmet firmly on.

"One question at a time, please, we'll answer your questions if you'll just slow down." TJ had his free hand up, now, the gloved fingers spread in a pleading gesture. "And--" two reporters had moved to go around them, but both Rangers backed up to meet them, "you all must stay clear of the Delta Megazord, please. It could still fall."

That brought on another onslaught of questions, and the two waited it out with their helmets tucked under one arm each. The point of this, after all, was to stall them.

("Secomi.") both helmets quietly echoed Cassie's voice, ("I think I've found it..." ...a hiss... "Oh... my god.")

("Cassie! Are you alright?") Ashley's voice now, followed by a horrified gasp, and TJ was quick to pull on his helmet. Carlos was a bare second behind him.

"Excuse us," Carlos said in a hurriedly polite manner over the reporters' questions.

("Guys, get those reporters out of here!") Andros' voice suddenly spoke up over the comm channel. ("There doesn't seem to be a trap, but, we're not going to want them seeing thi--")

And the Delta Megaship jerked to life.

* * *

Cassie jerked her helmet off as her knees slowly gave way, letting it drop from her nerveless fingers to clutch at the doorway. Eyes wide and breath hitched, she took in the scene as Ashley swerved around the corner.

"Cassie! Are you alright?" Ashley's voice barely registered with her, however, staring numbly forward. The Yellow Ranger gasped.

Kneeling on the floor with his back to the door was a dark figure, arms stretched to either side and head bowed forward. Cables as thick as Cassie's thumb ran in clusters of a dozen or more, dropping from the Control Room's ceiling and extending from every single control panel. They dripped a dark substance that could have been oil or could have been blood, forming shallow puddles on the floor.

Like wings or like a crucifix, these cables had been attached to the backs of the figure's arms, from wrist to shoulder, and down along his spine. Black armored panels had been swung aside on hidden hinges just enough to allow this, and...

And... but... and...

It was the Phantom Ranger.

Andros rushed past the two shocked girls, gingerly stepping over one mass of cables and arm and kneeling in front of the mysterious Ranger.

"What happened, Phantom Ranger?" he grasped the armored plates covering the Phantom's shoulders, peering at the down-turned helmet, "What happened? Wake up! Phantom..."

And they were suddenly snapped out of their immediate shock. Cassie lurched to her feet as Ashley inched into the room, unsure what to do as the Pink Ranger dropped to her knees all over again, but this time within touching distance of the Phantom. Chewing on her bottom lip, the Chinese girl hesitantly reached out to touch the Phantom Ranger's lower back, well beneath the cables and unhinged armor plate.

"Phantom Ranger?" her voice sounded shaky to even her own ears.

"Guys, get those reporters out of here!" Andros spoke into the comm channel. "There doesn't seem to be a trap, but, we're not going to want them seeing thi--"

Phantom jerked awake at her touch as though doused with ice water, his head snapped up and his back went rigid as the entire Delta Megazord -_lurched_-. Cassie yelped, thrown sideways onto the floor and Ashley shouted as she was summarily tossed back out of the room by the movement. Andros was the only one of the trio who maintained his position, grasping the Phantom's shoulders harder for support.

"It's just us, Phantom Ranger, it's just us. You're safe, calm down. Please, what happened?"

The Delta Megazord stopped struggling and Phantom appeared to relax, just the slightest bit, as the words sank in. Andros was staring at him through his helmet, as though trying to drive his message home through body language if words alone wouldn't work.

("Hey Rangers, what just happened?") Alpha's voice came over the comm as the Phantom slumped slightly forward, out of breath and heaving for air.

"We just startled him, Alpha." Andros replied wish surprising calm. That was how he was about everything, though. At least that's how it seemed to Cassie at that moment. Just... calm. She pushed herself up gingerly back onto her knees, thankful that she had at least managed to avoid the small puddles formed under the cables.

("Who?")

"The Phantom Ranger. He's been... networked."

"Networked?" Cassie repeated, slightly confused. She returned her hand to the Phantom's back, the other resting on his hip in an attempt to comfort. "What do you mean, networked?" then, to the Ranger in question, "Are you alright?"

"He probably can't talk while he's like this." Andros sighed.

"Can we get him out of here?" this was Ashley, kneeling down next to Cassie.

"He has to release the cables himself." the Red Ranger said with a slow shake of his head, "If we did it, we might kill him."

"I don't understand..." Cassie glanced from Andros to Phantom, and back again, "but alright."

The Red Ranger nodded, the visor of his helmet glinting in the light of the consoles around them. He seemed to be steeling himself, and his next words came out sharp and commanding.

"Phantom, let go of the Delta Megazord. It's safe, you're safe, and we need to know what happened."

The Phantom Ranger took a deep, shuddering breath and held it, before nodding slightly.

Andros and Cassie kept their hold on him as the cables started to disconnect and slip back into the control panels around them. As the cables left, the panels and displays dimmed and died, the entire Megazord slowly shutting down system by system. A few cables from each cluster left at a time, snaking their way eerily back to their origins and disappearing beneath panels.

A few agonizingly slow moments passed before the Phantom Ranger slumped forward without the extra support.

Ashley reached around Cassie to shut the back panel with a click, before doing the same with both of the now-limp arms. He swayed alarmingly, and the Pink Ranger moved her hand from his hip to his stomach to better help hold him up.

"I did not mean... to come... h... here." the Phantom's voice was weak, softer than usual with obvious fatigue. He sounded far too much like he had in Divatox's clutches, lacking his Power Ruby, slumped between two evil minions and yet -_still_- fighting to get Cassie free.

She opened her mouth to say something, but something about the moment stopped her.

"I... apologize, Rangers. I did not... mean to... to... in... involve you in this. Not... not like this."

"Tell us the rest after you recover a bit, Phantom." Andros said, putting a stop to it after a long look at the barely-pulsing Power Ruby. "We need to get you onto the Astro Megaship now."

But even as Andros spoke, the Phantom Ranger slipped into unconsciousness.

---- ----: -x- :---- ----  
Power Rangers © someone else.  
All here that is not found in the shows... is mine.  
Never steal if you value your spleen.

Reviews are lovely, reviews make the Aro happy, and a happy Aro is more inspired to write.

However, they are not absolutely required, and flames will result in a very annoyed Aro. I'm not forcing you to read my stuff, you must realize. So I've no sympathy for you if you read it, hate it, and yet can't keep your pointer off the review button.

Constructive criticism is awesome, mind, but I can tell thinly-veiled sarcasm when I see it.


	2. episode two, push

A/N (Aroihkin's Notes) 07.21.05:

Nothing to report, continue on.

**05.02.2010: All scene-dividers have been eaten, again, on all of my stories. I give up. _Please_ just go read this story on arowrites dot net where it hasn't been made incoherent; I am unable to keep up with this site's stupidity.**

---- ----: -x- :---- ----  
**Mad Machine**  
episode two, push

"_Are you a Prince? Are you a King? Or are you, perhaps, just a machine?"_

Memory gave way to reality with that final, echoing line from... how long ago had it been? Days? Weeks? Months? Even his enhanced memory couldn't tell him for sure. He still remembered the helplessness, the not being able to move. The sight of both of his disconnected arms laying mere feet away as the... whatever they were had operated on them.

He'd -_screamed_- upon reconnect, sobbed even, as the thousands of cybernetic nerve endings clashed and spliced all at once in both shoulder sockets. His brain had shocked white, giving him the impression of seeing stars even though his cameras hadn't so much as flickered. It took more than simple pain to make the Phantom Ranger's vision truly sputter, but the mind was perhaps not nearly as durable as the hardware it controlled.

But that was then, and this was now. The Phantom's cameras came online with his wakefulness, graphs pulsing beneath a green frame.

Slowly, he sat up.

"Hey," a familiar voice said in greeting, quietly, from his right. He turned his head to look, and found himself watching a very tired looking TJ. The former Red Ranger was seated in a chair facing the medical cot that Phantom's somewhat daunting frame currently occupied. His hands were on the armrests and his feet planted away from the chair, suggesting that he'd been there for a while now.

Phantom inclined his head in silent greeting. One corner of TJ's mouth twitched upwards just a bit, as though something about that had just amused him but he didn't want to actually laugh.

Somewhat puzzled, Phantom considered him a moment longer before turning his attention away from the other Ranger.

He was in the medical bay of the Astro Megaship, which in itself was no surprise. It seemed that at least once every time he came to Earth for whatever reason, he ended up needing medical treatment. Not that there was much that the Rangers' medical facilities could do to help him under most any circumstance... but they always tried.

"We finally made Cassie leave just a few hours ago." TJ finally broke into his observations when the Phantom swung his legs over the side of the cot in preparation to stand. "She'll probably be up looking for you again in another few."

The Phantom said nothing, bracing himself to take his own weight while he continued to study the room. Here on the other side of the cot, and much closer, a vacant chair. A few long dark hairs that could only be the Pink Ranger's lay across the back.

TJ rose immediately when the Phantom's boots met the cold tiles of the medical bay's floor. He'd managed to take several steps before he found his way blocked.

"You're not going to say a single word?"

"...Thank you, TJ." the armored Ranger said, still slightly puzzled. What did the Blue Ranger want him to do, give a speech right here and right now? Explain everything to one now that would need to be explained to all later?

"I meant to Cassie."

The Phantom Ranger inclined his head again, "I will thank her as well. And the rest of y..." he trailed off into silence when TJ's hand came to rest on the armored plate of his left shoulder. The human Ranger was staring intently at his helmet.

"I don't mean about that."

"I need to speak to all of you, about why I'm here and about what is surely following me." he conceded, knowingly dodging the subject. What good would talking about that sort of thing do? Nothing good could come of it, and Cassie would be better off not dealing with him, anyway.

"You know exactly what I mean." TJ frowned.

"I do." Phantom admitted without hesitation, but purposefully didn't elaborate.

"You're going to hurt her again."

And this time, the Phantom Ranger only responded with his back as he side-stepped TJ and walked down the corridor toward the lift. He was only slightly unsteady on his feet now, and his Power Ruby was pulsing normally. An excellent recovery, even for him. He'd be gone quickly enough and back on his way... and if he moved fast enough, perhaps he could intercept...

"...I don't care, I need to be around when he wakes up." that was Cassie's voice coming from the lift, ahead. Phantom almost hesitated, but he could feel TJ's stare boring into his armored back. "He's just going to vanish again otherwise, you know."

"Alright Cassie, but you need sleep." Ashley, the Yellow Ranger, his mind supplied the name and color to the voice. "Even if you just stretch out on one of the other cots in there..."

The lift's doors slid open.

"Oh..." was all the Pink Ranger said, staring at him. He came to a halt despite himself, tensing as TJ approached the sudden, silent stare-down. The Blue Ranger stopped behind him and waited a moment as Phantom and Cassie seemed to size each other up.

"I need to speak to everyone." Phantom finally said, after breaking the stare-down by looking at the floor. "This is an important matter... they will not be far behind me..."

"They?" Ashley said slowly, obviously curious. "Who are 'they'?"

"..." the Phantom Ranger continued to watch the floor, feeling the seconds and minutes trickle past. He had to tell them, but he had to tell them all, and ideally... this would happen before they found Earth. "Please, I need to talk to everyone."

The lift doors opened, Carlos and Andros stepped out.

"DECA told us you guys needed us down here?" Carlos said, before he caught sight of Phantom. "Oh."

Musing briefly that he seemed to have that effect on everyone, the Phantom Ranger braced himself before looking at all of them in turn. Finally, he thought he could speak of it, if only briefly.

"I was taking the remains of the Delta Megaship away. To either be rebuilt or scrapped properly by their original world." he spoke somewhat haltingly at first, in oddly awkward sentences. "I had all of the pieces in a force net behind my ship..." Phantom once again stared at the floor, "and then I was captured."

"Everyone gets taken off guard -_some_- time, Phantom Ranger." Andros spoke up at the pause, "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"The capture does not shame me. My -_release_-, however..." his hands curled into fists at his side, "the fact that I came -_here_-, led them... led them -_here_-... that is what shames me."

"It didn't look like you had much choice." TJ, this time.

"No, you're wrong. They wired me so thoroughly into the Delta Megazord so that I would not need to be awake to pilot it. It..." he raised one fist to stare at it, "it became my very body, and this form you see before you became nothing more than a circuit."

The Phantom Ranger could feel the confusion radiating from most of them, with only the Red Ranger knowing, truly, what he was talking about. He continued, regardless, knowing that Andros would fill the rest in on his... state, later. That was one thing he -_couldn't_- say, not right here in front of Cassie. His hand dropped to his side again.

"They forced my mind into a comatose state, and then they released me." he stared at Andros, now, instead of his fist or the floor, "I know now that they intended for my subconscious to have me travel to my planet of origin... and I came here instead. I apologize."

Everyone seemed to have something to say to that, but none of them seemed to be able to say it. He looked at them, their mouths slightly open, before eyeing the floor again.

"Phantom Ranger..." it was Cassie, of course, who spoke up first. "You... do you think of Earth as your home planet?"

"No," he answered truthfully, mentally wincing at the bluntness, "I cannot."

Andros murmured something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like the Phantom Ranger's universal title, 'the lone wolf of space'. Phantom nodded at him slightly.

"I do not have a home planet. I was... exiled from my planet of origin," that surprised even Andros, who looked up sharply and seemed to study him anew, "...which is where they had clearly hoped I would lead them."

He paused.

"I have led them here, instead, and put you and your world in unnecessary danger. I will leave immediately to intercept their ship and attempt to rectify the... problem." and he moved to walk past the Rangers.

Cassie stopped him with her hand on his arm. He stared at the contact for the briefest of moments before looking at her face.

"Phantom Ranger... what did they do to you when you were captured?"

"Nothing I wasn't created for." he said without thinking, before he quickly stepped away, "Please, Cassie, do not worry about me. I must go."

"Like hell." Phantom looked up, startled, at TJ and Andros... who had both said it at the same time. They spared each other an amused glance before Andros bore down on Phantom, causing the armored Ranger to back quickly away.

"You're not going to stop me, Rangers. I must..."

"We will, and you won't." TJ was following Andros' example, and shortly the Phantom Ranger found himself surrounded. The five Rangers made a half a circle before him, and the unyielding wall of the corridor stood solidly at his back. He didn't want to have to fight them...

"If I do not leave -_now_-, Andros, they will find Earth."

"We're all Rangers here, Phantom." Carlos glared, "You can't expect us to let you just rocket off to be a martyr, not again."

"You've done that to us enough times." TJ added with a glare of his own, gripping Phantom's shoulders. "This time, you're going to stick around and let us -_help_- you."

"Long Range sensors detect lunar warp." DECA interjected from a speaker in the wall above Phantom, "An alien craft has entered orbit around Earth."

"I'm too late." the Phantom Ranger sighed, shoulders slumping beneath TJ's hands.

"What do they want with your home--I'm sorry, 'planet of origin', anyway?" Ashley asked him, folding her arms. "Zordon wiped out all the evil that could have possibly had a grudge against you."

"They... they wish to find more like me, or at least those who could make something like me." he replied, carefully not looking at Cassie, "And then, they wish to destroy us..."

"What, Power Rangers?" TJ again.

"No."

"Humans?"

"I am not human."

That was met with some surprise, but no real shock. After all, they had always known he was from space, and that didn't necessarily mean he came from a human colony like Andros had. Andros himself remained carefully silent.

"Your race, then?"

"Of a sorts." the Phantom Ranger readily conceded.

"Alien craft entering Earth's atmosphere." DECA announced, "Approaching Delta Megazord."

"So they're coming here?" Cassie, who had seemed to go off into her own mind, snapped back out of it.

They had gotten rid of the press only by threatening to never talk to them again, and then had extracted the Phantom Ranger from the Delta. He hadn't moved a bit except under their manipulation, and just like the time in the tunnels under Angel Grove, she'd wondered at how heavy he was. What was he?

"Naturally." he replied. "They will be looking for me, and then they will be looking for signs of my..." a glance at Andros, "...race."

"Incoming transmission."

"Let's get to the bridge. DECA... put it through when we get there." Andros strode for the lift doors, pausing to look back at everyone. "Well? Come on. You, too." the final two words were spoken with a very pointed look at the Phantom Ranger. He found himself tagging along, the Pink, Green, and Blue Rangers flanking him.

The creature on the screen made the Phantom Ranger distinctly uncomfortable. She was, indeed, the leader of the same group who had captured him originally, although her basic appearance was now that of a human. The messy hair still had a dark blue tint to it, though, and the too-pale skin made the bright blue eyes look odd.

"Ah..." said the figure on the screen, "I see you have found our toy."

There was movement behind her, but nothing clear.

"Who are you?" TJ demanded, sounding both puzzled and offended. All of the humans had been annoyed by the toy remark, it was obvious in their body language. The Phantom Ranger shook his head, just slightly.

"I am Anura, Queen's Admiral of Kulitron." an oddly fang-less, ironic smile, "And -_you_- are?"

"We're the Power Rangers." said Ashley, stepping forward, "And we're not letting you take the Phantom Ranger again."

"How very amusing, that you think you can stop us."

"We can, and we will."

"You can, you say? You will? You'll -_try_-, you mean, and fail." the also familiar sing-song male voice said from off camera, and laughter was heard. Anura, notably, didn't seem very amused... her eyes took on a harder glint.

"You're called the Phantom Ranger, then?" she said, staring directly at him, "Fitting, perhaps. Regardless... this world lacks the technological level of your home planet, we will require your further... assistance."

The Phantom Ranger nodded slowly.

"If you leave Earth and its Rangers unharmed, I will... go with you."

"No you won't." Ashley turned on him.

"You will hold me prisoner, then?"

"If we need to." TJ sounded grim, and Andros nodded behind him.

"How touching." Anura scoffed over the open transmission, "The machine has made biological friends. But humans will grow attached to anything, I suppose." Ignoring the confusion that spread through four of the human Rangers, she continued. "We will acquire you again, Phantom Ranger. Whether your... friends approve or not. Know this."

He nodded.

"Transmission ended." DECA said as the screen went blank. The Phantom Ranger felt he could easily hate the Queen's Admiral of Kulitron, for exposing what he was if for no other reason. Cassie in particular was looking at him with the most peculiar... expression... and he stared again at the floor. It seemed he did a lot of that, lately, but it was better than meeting their gazes.

"You really should let me go." the Phantom Ranger said, voice somewhat harsh.

"Not happening." Andros answered without hesitation, and the machine shook his head again.

---- ----: -x- :---- ----  
Power Rangers © someone else.  
All here that is not found in the shows... is mine.  
Never steal if you value your spleen.

Reviews are lovely, reviews make the Aro happy, and a happy Aro is more inspired to write.

However, they are not absolutely required, and flames will result in a very annoyed Aro. I'm not forcing you to read my stuff, you must realize. So I've no sympathy for you if you read it, hate it, and yet can't keep your pointer off the review button.

Constructive criticism is awesome, mind, but I can tell thinly-veiled sarcasm when I see it.

– review replies –

**Daylight**: Wow, I'm glad you like it so much! Thanks for the review... :)

**AngelMouse5**: Zhane will be in it, yes. :) Just not for a few chapters... I'm having enough of a time trying to juggle this many characters all of a sudden. XD So him and Karone are conveniently away for the moment.

**juzblue**: Thanks!


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